Last winter, the Chicago Cubs signed Jason Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million contract. Less than 11 months later, they won their first World Series since the Teddy Roosevelt administration.
Here's the rub: They did it as much in spite of Heyward as because of him.
Heyward played 142 games in his first season on the North Side and won a Gold Glove for his work in right field. His exploits in the batter's box, however, defined abysmal.
He hit .230 and set career lows in on-base percentage (.306) and slugging percentage (.325). It's not as if his stat line was undone by ...

The Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series in 2016. And by looking at their roster, it sure looks like they can turn right around and win another in 2017.
So, they might as well set their sights on the more distant future—specifically on how long they can keep Kris Bryant around with a contract extension worthy of his talents.
The Cubs don't need their star third baseman to prove anything else. All he's done in the last four years is make everyone else look bad. Bryant was Baseball America's College Player of the Year and the No. 2 pick in the ...

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon defended himself Saturday after Aroldis Chapman criticized his usage in the World Series.
"Would I do it differently? No," Maddon said in an interview with the New York Post's Kevin Kernan. "There is no Game 7 without winning Game 6. And there is no Game 8 if you don’t win Game 7. That’s why you do what you have to do."
Chapman appeared in Games 6 and 7 of the Fall Classic. His inclusion in Game 6 was surprising considering the Cubs were up 7-2 at the time. The four-time All-Star had also thrown a season-high 42 ...

After four years with the Boston Red Sox, veteran reliever Koji Uehara has found a new home with the Chicago Cubs.
ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers reported Wednesday that Uehara inked a one-year, $6 million deal with the defending World Series champs, and the Cubs later announced the news.
Uehara is one of the most interesting relievers in Major League Baseball. He has performed at a high level for nearly a decade despite having a fastball that FanGraphs' stats show has never averaged more than 89.2 mph and dipped to a career-low 86.7 mph in 2016.
The key to Uehara's success is his split-finger fastball that ...

The Chicago Cubs are hoping to sign starting pitcher Jake Arrieta to a long-term deal before he hits free agency.
Continue for updates.
Latest on Extension Negotiations
Thursday, Dec. 8
According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago, the 30-year-old's agent, Scott Boras, believes this is the time to come to an agreement with the team, and a contract will be discussed in January.
Arrieta is in his third year of arbitration and is set to be a free agent after the 2017 season.
The Cubs acquired Arrieta in a trade from the Baltimore Orioles during the 2013 season. Since then, the right-hander has blossomed into one ...

Not even the defending champs can rest on their laurels.
The Chicago Cubs aren't, clearly, as they made their first big splash of the offseason Wednesday, acquiring All-Star closer Wade Davis from the Kansas City Royals, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.
It's a simple, straight-up swap, with 24-year-old outfielder Jorge Soler going to Kansas City. That's no small sacrifice for the Cubs, as we'll delve into shortly.
For now, though, let's focus on what Chicago got: a replacement for free-agent flamethrower Aroldis Chapman and a nice dose of security at the back end of the bullpen.
Davis has been nothing short of ...

The Kansas City Royals shook up their bullpen Wednesday after trading All-Star closer Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs for Jorge Soler.
The Cubs announced the deal after Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the agreement. Soler took to Twitter after the announcement to thank Chicago's fans for his time with the club before commenting on his move to Kansas City:
Davis had been an instrumental part of Kansas City's recent resurgence. He was a middling starter after coming up with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 and during his first year with the Royals in 2013, but a move to the bullpen turned his career around.
In ...

Chicago Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler has had trouble getting on the field over his first three MLB seasons, but he will now reportedly get a new opportunity with the Kansas City Royals.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Royals and Cubs have struck a deal that will send Soler to the Royals for closer Wade Davis, pending physicals. Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball confirmed the report.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted the deal would be a one-for-one swap with no other players involved.
The 24-year-old Soler has been lost in the shuffle with the Cubs. Once the No. 12-rated prospect in all of ...